For live streaming and game broadcasting, smooth video production is crucial for effectively engaging the audience. However, experiencing the “skipped frames due to encoding lag” issue shatters and impacts the quality of your work. The problem primarily arises because of the higher CPU workload and affects the creative workflow of your OBS.
In addition, it’s crucial to analyze and understand the reasons behind this error for practical strategies. Therefore, this guide will develop a complete understanding of how this issue arises and how to implement the plan.
How does the “Skipped frames due to encoding lag” issue arise?
OBS users recording on older computers will encounter the frustrating skipped frames issue due to a lot of CPU usage. Along with this, other issues must be addressed and understood before implementing the solutions. Therefore, hereunder enlisted common reasons to develop an understanding and avoid these in the future.
High CPU Usage
The primary and foremost important reason your OBS skipped frames during the live stream is “High CPU” usage. The usage must be within 30% for seamless efficiency, and you can analyze the ratio from the studio stats window.
In addition, if you have a lot of programs running in the background, the CPU will use more resources and start encoding lag issues. Besides this, if gaming enthusiasts open more than one game in the studio, OBS will skip or drop frames.
Improper Settings
Every person sets the settings according to their usage, so analyzing which settings are causing the issue is challenging. However, if you select a higher frame rate to get better quality recording, you will experience skipped frame issues. The most obvious reason for this problem is 120 FPS with poor network connectivity.
In addition, because of the higher-quality video resolution and CPU presets, you will experience a higher “skipped frames due to encoding lag” percentage.
Storage Issues
Recording the files on your traditional hard disk drive (HDD) will make it difficult for the OBS to keep track. It happens because the old Hard Disk cannot work correctly, and its functionality decreases over time. In addition, if you have higher RAM storage, it will start functioning smoothly, and the issue will reappear.
Besides these issues, if you are using a slow processor, the “skipped frames due to encoding lag” issue percentage will increase. So, it’s essential to understand and analyze if you need help efficiently implementing the solutions.
5 Fixes to “Skipped Frames due to Encoding Lag.”
OBS is designed to produce recordings or live streams to engage the audience. Skipped Frames are frustrating for gaming professionals when you have to upscale the resolutions, and the CPU will start showing the lagging issue.
Also, you will experience encoding lags and inefficiency because of the higher CPU usage. Therefore, this guide will enrich you with all the possible solutions for better functionality.
Method 1- Check your Settings
Everyone sets the settings according to their use, and following the step-by-step guide to modify your recordings is recommended.
Step 1- Open the stats window
First, open the Stats window to have a detailed analysis by following the steps:
- Launch the OBS studio and click on “View” from the top-right menu bar.
- Click on “Stats,” and it will provide complete details of your CPU usage and a percentage of Skipped Frames due to encoding lag.
Step 2- Change your CPU Presets
First, open the settings by clicking on the “File” and tapping Settings. So, the most important of them are “CPU Presets,” “Frame Rate,” and “Video Resolution,” which have a more significant impact.
- After opening Settings, go to “Output” and change the output mode to “Advanced.”
- After that, click on the CPU Presets, and by default, it is set to “Very Fast,” but you can change it to “Ultra Fast” for better CPU performance.
- It will come at the expense of lower video quality; however, it can be compensated by increasing the bitrate.
Step 3- Output Resolution
- Then click the “Output Resolution” to improve or reduce the quality.
- Tap on it, change the video to 1280×720 resolution, and click “OK.”
Step 4- Frame Rate
The crucial step is changing the frame rate because it consumes your CPU and is the main reason your Skipped Frames percentage goes higher.
- From the “Video Settings,” click on the “Common FPS Value.”
- Then change it to “30 FPS” and click “OK” to apply the changes and remove any video lagging issues.
Changing the “Frame Rate” will solve the encoding issue but significantly impact the quality. However, by increasing the “Bitrate,” you can minimize the effect of changing the frame rate.
Step 5- Change Encoder
Change or set your encoder to increase performance, and it will precisely resolve the skipped frames issue.
- From the “Output Settings,” click on the “Encoder.”
- Change it to NVENC encoder if you have NVIDIA because this will offset your recordings’ CPU load to the GPU.
- In addition, increasing the bit rate can minimize the impact on quality.
Changing this simple setting will significantly impact the OBS studio, making your recordings smooth and perfect. Encoders are vital for a seamless experience, enabling you to change it if it’s not working efficiently. After “Applying” the settings, go to your stats window, start recording, and watch the skipped frames.
Method 2- Settings Game Priorities
Step 1- Setting the Priorities
- Launch OBS, then go to settings and click “Advanced” from the popup window.
- After that, tap on “Process Priority” and change it from “Normal” to “High.”
- Select Apply and then click OK.
Step 2- Change your Game Priority
- Ensure that the game is running or opened in the taskbar, right-click on the toolbar, and select the task manager.
- After that, head to the Details and navigate to your game that is opened in the taskbar.
- Also, right-click on it to change the Priority to “Above Normal.”
By changing the priorities, you will set the standards higher, and it will start streaming seamlessly. Furthermore, it will remove the encoding lag issue, and you can seamlessly stream your game recording without any problems.
Method 3- Closing other Programs
When multiple Games run in the background, higher CPU usage will disrupt the process’s normal functioning. For this, use “Hotkey” mode, which allows you to select between the active games and close others in the background. In addition, activate “Capture any full-screen application” mode during full-screen gaming.
Besides this, checking and closing other software applications running in the background is mandatory. After completing the program, you can check CPU usage from the OBS stats and the Activity Monitor or Task Manager.
Method 4- Changing the Storage and Storage Location
The simplest of all the solutions is to change the current recording storage location. So, to view and change the site, follow the enlisted steps:
Step 1-
- First, open the OBS settings and click on “Output.”
- Navigate to “Recordings” and click “Browse” to change the current path.
- After changing, click to apply the changes.
Step 2-
- Click to change the “Output Mode” to “Advanced.”
- Then, tap on the “Recording” section and select the output path.
- Change the current location for better efficiency.
If the recording files are stored on the old hard disk drive, it will become hard for the storage to read or store them. Therefore, by switching to a “Solid State Drive (SSD),” it will have to keep track of faster processing and high CPU speed. So, SSD will keep track of all the data, making it easy to access and store without the issue of skipped frames.
Method 5- Restart OBS
The following important method is restarting OBS because it will remove the technical glitches and bugs. After resuming the studio, wait a few seconds and start the recording, but ensure CPU usage is at the minimum percentage.
In addition, lower your game graphics settings by disabling the “Fortnite’s shadow and effects” it will improve functionality. Some resources, webcams or capture cards, use many resources, making it difficult to function normally. It can be minimized by lowering the output resolution because, by default, it captures higher-quality recordings.
After applying the abovementioned solutions, if you are still experiencing the “skipped frames due to encoding lag” issue, then it’s best to consider a powerful computer. So, upgrading your hardware or CPU will solve the problem and ensure better-quality recordings.
Conclusion
For live streaming and video game broadcasting, Skipped Frames is a frustrating issue that shatters productivity. The problem arises when improper settings use more CPU than average, so it’s specific to every individual. Therefore, this guide will enable you to specify your settings ideally and minimize the impact of encoding lag.
You can engage the audience and harness the full potential of the digital world by implementing the abovementioned solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between encoding lag and rendering lag?
Encoding Lag is CPU intensive, and it’s the reason that skipped frames problem arises when your CPU becomes overloaded. From the stats window, you can analyze the current usage of the CPU and “Encoding Overloaded” if memory utilization is high. Also, the skipped frames issue arises due to lower processing capabilities during recording.
Rendering Lag is when your GPU (graphics processing unit) becomes overloaded, and the “Frames missed due to rendering lag” problem pops up. Your computer cannot create each frame of video in real-time. So, when this issue arises, you have to limit the FPS from your OBS settings, which will reduce the graphic overlays.
How do we fix the “Drop Frames” issue in OBS?
The most probable reason is that a poor or unstable network connection will cause OBS to drop frames. However, you can implement the following solution methods:
- Update your network connection and switch to more stable Ethernet connections.
- Close any other background running programs.
- Lower or change your current bitrate.
- Then, upgrade your hardware that captures real-time recordings or streamings with perfection.
- Also, change your stream servers and disable any VPN or Firewall that can interfere with the standard functionality.
What is Frames Missed due to Rendering Lag, and how to fix this issue?
Frames Missed due to Rendering Lag is generally your computer’s inability to create or capture each frame. It’s GPU-sensitive and will start missing the Frames when a high GPU workload affects the studio’s efficiency.
This issue can be resolved by reducing the GPU workload by reducing the number of Graphical Overlays and videos. Furthermore, if the problem persists, it is recommended to change your computer to a powerful one and equip graphical solid units.
